Customer Service Strategy

Overview

At the City of Brantford we value our customers, both internally and externally. We are committed to providing customer service excellence while serving all customers in all aspects of our business.

Today, many organizations are faced with significant challenges in the area of customer service and service delivery for both internal and external customers. The constant change in demographics coupled with high customer expectations is making organizations rethink their customer service strategies.

In 2011 the City of Brantford began to assess the current state of customer service within the organization, to research leading practices, and to develop recommendations in order to provide the City with a strategy for becoming a leader in customer service excellence. As a result of the research conducted and recommendations presented, City Council committed financial resources to the ongoing development of this Customer Service Strategy, staff training and development and the implementation of a long-term customer-focused plan.

The Customer Service Strategy aligns our customer service commitment with our customer service vision, guiding principles, guidelines, resource allocation, and approved implementation plan. These will establish the Customer One Program as the customer service standard for the City of Brantford.

Consistent with the City's Customer One Strategy, the City of Brantford values our customers and is committed to providing excellent customer service in all aspect of our business. The following guiding principles were established to provide customer service excellence and will be used for making internal and external customer related decisions and integrated into the day-to-day business practices at the City of Brantford.

Our commitment in every customer interaction is to…

Serve all customers with professionalism, skill, and knowledge

Act with integrity and treat customers with dignity and respect

Treat customers fairly while complying with all our policies, by-laws and regulations

Ensure our services are accessible for all customers

Respond to customer requests in a timely, accurate manner

Identify ourselves to customers by using our first name and the department in which we work

Provide our service in the most cost-effective and timely manner possible

Be flexible while applying judgment and discretion

Serve the general public, fellow staff members and Council well

Be fair, honest and consistent

Be courteous and helpful

Be accountable to all customers and use feedback to improve our performance and service to our customers

Ensure all customer service guidelines, standards and processes are accessible to all

Measure and improve work processes by implementing innovative ideas, applying appropriate technology, training staff to be helpful and knowledgeable, and encourage teamwork among staff

The City of Brantford provides over 198 programs and services to the community and remains committed to enhancing customer service throughout our operations. However, customers may not always be satisfied with a service provided and should have the ability to express their issues or concerns to frontline staff providing the service.

Customers are required to notify frontline staff in the department providing the service of their dissatisfaction with the intent of reaching a satisfactory resolution. City employees will resolve issues or concerns of a customer to the best of their ability, working within established guidelines. If a customer is not satisfied with the handling of their complaint via regular customer service channels or by frontline staff, a formal complaint can be submitted.